A "potentially hazardous" asteroid named 2024 ON is reportedly hurtling toward Earth at 25,000 mph, expected to pass by on September 15, 2024. NASA issued a critical alert but assured the public there is no imminent danger of collision.
2024 ON is about 720 feet in diameter, roughly the size of two cricket pitches or a 60-story skyscraper. The closest it will come to Earth is around 0.62 million miles, over 2.5 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. While close, it’s not near enough to cause damage.
Asteroid 2024 ON to have a "close but safe" encounter with Earth
The asteroid was first spotted by the Near-Earth Object Observations Programme, led by G. Borisov, on September 5, 2024. The program, tasked with tracking near-Earth objects, is monitoring it closely. The Virtual Telescope Project stated in a blog post:
"On September 15, 2024, the near-Earth asteroid 2024 RR3 will have a very close, but safe encounter with the Earth. It will come as close as 360,000 km, about 93% of the average lunar distance. We observed it while it was approaching us."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, is using radar and optical telescopes to monitor the asteroid and analyze its size, shape, and chemical composition to assess potential risks.
Furthermore, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is also on the cause, reiterating to the public that the chances of an apocalyptic collision are low. According to the Daily Guardian, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are combining efforts to study the compositional makeup of an asteroid as significant as 2024 ON.
According to NASA standards, any space object that passes within 120 million miles of Earth is dubbed a "near-Earth object" and any large object that comes within 4.65 million miles is dubbed "potentially hazardous." The space agency has iterated that our planet is safe from all dinosaur-killing asteroids for at least the next century.
People in the Northern Hemisphere will have a unique stargazing opportunity, as the Virtual Telescope Project will provide live coverage of 2024 ON passing by. NASA will keep the public updated through its website and social media.
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